Roots and Soul and are full-steam ahead on the Malibu Lot Stadium, while the potential for playing in the Oakland Coliseum still remains
On Saturday, January 13, Oakland Roots and Soul SC and Alameda County Department of Environmental Health (ACDEH) community had an information session regarding developments on the Malibu Lot Stadium for fans and locals.
Held at Cypress Mandela Training Center in East Oakland, the informal town hall had many of the same stadium renderings Roots and Soul die-hards have been obsessing over since the announcements, along with the environmental impact findings and suggestion for protective actions and measures.
While the public renderings for the stadium remains largely similar to previous versions, supporters may be interested in the new 3D renderings of the Entry Plaza, West stands, East stands, Function, and Stage.
The Blog spoke with Oakland Roots and Soul president Lindsay Barenz at the event on what fans should expect about the project going forward.
To say Roots and Soul are optimistic about the prospects of the Malibu Lot is likely an understatement. While the State of California and the City of Oakland have both garnered reputations as near impossible places to build stadium, the Oakland soccer organization remain confident in their plan.
“From our perspective we have formally announced [the stadium],” Barenz said. “It’s a public project, public in the sense that it is known to everyone. We work on it every day and we make progress with the city and the county on it every day.”
As for starting construction, the club expects to begin putting groundwork on the stadium this summer: “There’s a lot permitting you have to obtain to be able to build a venue like this, and we’re working through that process. But we don’t currently foresee any obstacles we can’t overcome.”
Of these regulatory obstacles, the most prominent at the town hall were the ACDEH Fact Sheet on Potential Corrective Actions and Mitigation Measures.
In summary, ACDEH investigations in the Malibu Lot found chemicals in the soil and groundwater below the former racetrack. The Malibu Grand Prix operated a 6,000-gallon underground storage tank of marine mix gasoline. After the City and County purchased the land, large amounts of soil were removed and replaced an asphalt cap was installed to mitigate exposure to contaminants in soil and historic fill material.
While the Grand Prix did not leave the Malibu Lot in the best condition, the report outlines ways to correct the problems and mitigate potential exposures. The steps following this public meeting and time for public comment (see the names on the second page to make yours) will include a further infestations in to the Malibu Lot land and a finalization of redevelopment grading.
Given the club’s confidence in starting construction, the ACDEH report is believed to be cumbersome but clearable hurdles.
Another, much smaller, obstacle was the ability for fans to tailgate before matches. After the club sent out an opinion survey in October where the tailgating prospects potentially appeared unclear, the some of the ample Coliseum parking will be available to Roots and Soul fans.
“We will coordinate with the Coliseum and the arena to make sure there aren’t dates where we have three events going on the same time to make sure there’s plenty of parking for anyone,” Barenz told the blog.
As for the Coliseum, where the Roots have expressed interest playing their 2025 season, with the Oakland A’s status in flux—their lease expires in 2024—Roots and Soul see potential for the iconic industrial stadium to be a home.
“That’s an ongoing conversation,” Barenz said.
The City of Oakland has been dubious on their intent to renew a lease to the baseball team fleeing to take money from Nevada schools, but the long-time Coliseum residents playing in Major League Baseball makes them an obviously more stable tenant than the Roots and Soul. Still, the offer from the teams truly by and for Oakland remains compelling.
When asked if the club sees any financial hurdles towards the club playing in the big stadium, Barenz responded, “No, I would say it’s just an ongoing conversation.”